Tapered roller bearing

ABSTRACT

A two-row tapered roller bearing includes an outer ring ( 1 ) having an outer diameter of at least one meter, a first inner ring ( 2 ) and a second inner ring ( 3 ) that is disposed axially adjacent the first inner ring ( 2 ). A first set of conically-formed roller bodies ( 4 ) roll between the outer ring ( 1 ) and the first inner ring ( 2 ) and a second set of conically-formed roller bodies ( 5 ) are disposed axially adjacent the first roller bodies ( 4 ) and roll between the outer ring ( 1 ) and the second inner ring ( 3 ). A first sealing ring ( 11 ) is disposed axially adjacent the outer ring ( 1 ), is connected with the outer ring ( 1 ) and slips on a slip surface ( 16 ) of the first inner ring ( 2 ) in a contacting manner.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims priority to German patent application no. 102009 014 923.6, filed Mar. 25, 2009, which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to roller bearings havingrelatively large diameters, e.g., greater than one meter. Preferredroller bearings include two-row tapered roller bearings that may beutilized, e.g., to support a rotor shaft of a wind turbine.

KNOWN ART

Although bearings having an outer ring with a diameter of greater thanone meter are generally known as large diameter bearings, other criteriaand, e.g., other diameter-values could also be consulted for thedefinition of large diameter bearings. Generally speaking, bearingsdisclosed herein are considerably larger than bearings which have anouter diameter of a few centimeters and are utilized in typical everydayapplications, such as e.g., in passenger cars.

When designing large diameter bearings, a pure upscaling of the bearinggeometry starting from a known “small” bearing is normally not feasible,because different criteria require special consideration for largediameter bearings than for small diameter bearings, such as e.g.,weight, the material(s) utilized to produce the bearing, the assemblycost, repair options, etc. For example, DE 10 2004 058 905 A1 disclosesa large diameter bearing having an inner ring and an outer ring that areeach composed of a plurality of segments in the circumferentialdirection. Due to the segmentation of the rings, it is possible toreplace a damaged bearing without having to remove the shaft that isrotatably supported by the bearing.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the present teachings, a high-quality and reliablelarge diameter bearing is disclosed that reduces material usagerequirements.

In another aspect of the present teachings, a two-row tapered rollerbearing may include an outer ring having an outer diameter of at leastone meter, more preferably at least 1.5 meters. The bearing may furtherinclude a first inner ring disposed axially adjacent a second innerring. Furthermore, the tapered roller bearing preferably includes afirst set of first roller bodies, which are preferably conically-shapedand roll between the outer ring and the first inner ring, and second setof second roller bodies, which are also preferably conically-shaped, aredisposed axially adjacent the first roller bodies and roll between theouter ring and the second inner ring. A first sealing ring is preferablyconnected with the outer ring on one axial side of the outer ring and isdisposed so as to slip on or along a slip surface of the first innerring in a contacting manner. More preferably, the entire first sealingring is disposed axially adjacent to the outer ring.

According to this aspect of the present teachings, the outer ring canhave a relatively narrow width in the axial direction, thereby reducingmaterial requirements for the production of the tapered roller bearingwhile still ensuring a reliable sealing of the tapered roller bearing. Aweight reduction also results from the material savings. In view of thelarger diameter of the outer ring, a reduction of the axial width of theouter ring affects the achievable material savings substantially morewith regard to the outer ring than the inner rings. Designs according tothis aspect of the present teachings also have the advantage of reducingthe risk of damaging the sealing ring(s) during the assembly of thetapered roller bearing.

The first inner ring and the second inner ring can be integrally formedas a common ring part. However, it is preferred that the two inner ringsare formed as two separate parts, which provides, e.g., advantagesduring the assembly of the tapered roller bearing.

In another aspect of the present teachings, a second sealing ring can beprovided axially adjacent the outer ring and can be connected, e.g.,fixedly connected, with the outer ring. The second sealing ring ispreferably disposed so as to slip on a slip surface of the second innerring in a contacting manner. In such an embodiment, it is possible tocompletely seal the interior of the tapered roller bearing.

The first slip surface is preferably cylinder-shaped, which ensureswell-defined slippage conditions for the sealing ring with axialtolerances. It is particularly advantageous when the first slip surfaceis formed at, on or near a shoulder of the first inner ring. The firstinner ring and/or the second inner ring is preferably produced from asuitable, i.e. sufficiently hard, material and is manufactured with highprecision. More preferably, the first slip surface and/or the secondslip surface is ground in a twist-free or directionality-free manner,i.e. the first and/or second slip surface preferably has anon-directional surface finish, which ensures a high surface qualitywith very small shape- and mass deviations, as well as flawless rotationwhile minimizing wear over the service life of the roller bearing.

The first sealing ring can be attached to a first retaining ring. Thefirst retaining ring can be attached to the outer ring. Such anembodiment provides a reliable seating of the first sealing ring at arelatively low cost. More preferably, the first retaining ring can beattached to the outer ring by screws that further serve to attach theouter ring in an installation environment. This particularly preferredembodiment has the advantage that no additional screws are necessary forthe attachment of the first sealing ring.

In a further aspect of the present teachings, the first sealing ring andthe first retaining ring may be integrally formed. In this case, it ispossible to reduce the number of individual components that must behandled during assembly or repair. In addition or in the alternative,the first sealing ring and the first retaining ring can be comprised ofthe same material, which provides an especially efficient andcost-effective embodiment for realizing the first sealing ring. Inaddition, a sealing ring formed in such a manner can also includeaxially-oriented bores configured for the attachment of the sealing ringto the outer ring, e.g., via screws or bolts.

In a further aspect of the present teachings, the first sealing ring caninclude at least one sealing lip and/or the second sealing ring caninclude at least one sealing lip. The sealing lip(s) can be produced,e.g., by a machine-cutting operation, by injection molding or byvulcanization.

In a further aspect of the present teachings, the outer ring and/or thefirst inner ring and/or the second inner ring can be formed as a ringthat is closed and/or continuous in the circumferential direction. Insuch an embodiment, a high mechanical stability and a good rollingbehavior of the roller bodies on the tracks can be achieved.

In a further aspect of the present teachings, the first roller bodiescan be disposed in a first cage and/or the second roller bodies can bedisposed in a second cage. More preferably, the first cage and/or thesecond cage can be formed in a segmented or discontinuous manner in thecircumferential direction, which reduces the danger of a mechanicaloverstressing of the cage and facilitates the expected thermalexpansion.

In a further aspect of the present teachings, the first sealing ringand/or the second sealing ring can be manufactured, e.g., frompolyurethane or polytetrafluoroethylene. These materials areparticularly suitable when a high shape-stability is desired.

The tapered roller bearing can include grease as a lubricant. A reliablelubrication can be achieved thereby.

In a further aspect of the present teachings, the tapered roller bearingcan be formed as a component of a wind turbine and/or may be utilized torotatably support a rotor shaft utilized in a wind turbine.

The invention will be further explained in the following with theassistance of the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a first representative taperedroller bearing in a cross-sectional illustration.

FIG. 2 shows the sealing ring of the tapered roller bearing illustratedin FIG. 1 in a cross-sectional illustration.

FIG. 3 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a second representativetapered roller bearing in a cross-sectional illustration.

FIG. 4 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a third representativetapered roller bearing in a cross-sectional illustration.

FIG. 5 shows the sealing ring of the tapered roller bearing illustratedin FIG. 4 in a cross-sectional illustration.

FIG. 6 shows a representative wind turbine having a rotor shaftrotatably supported by tapered roller bearings according to the presentteachings.¹ ¹ FIG. 6 and text in italics added to satisfy USPTO drawingrequirements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Each of the additional features and teachings disclosed below may beutilized separately or in conjunction with other features and teachingsto provide improved roller bearings and/or wind turbines, as well asmethods for designing, constructing and using the same. Representativeexamples of the present invention, which examples utilize many of theseadditional features and teachings both separately and in combination,will now be described in further detail with reference to the attacheddrawings. This detailed description is merely intended to teach a personof skill in the art further details for practicing preferred aspects ofthe present teachings and is not intended to limit the scope of theinvention. Therefore, combinations of features and steps disclosed inthe following detail description may not be necessary to practice theinvention in the broadest sense, and are instead taught merely toparticularly describe representative examples of the present teachings.

Moreover, the various features of the representative examples and thedependent claims may be combined in ways that are not specifically andexplicitly enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodimentsof the present teachings. In addition, it is expressly noted that allfeatures disclosed in the description and/or the claims are intended tobe disclosed separately and independently from each other for thepurpose of original disclosure, as well as for the purpose ofrestricting the claimed subject matter independent of the compositionsof the features in the embodiments and/or the claims. It is alsoexpressly noted that all value ranges or indications of groups ofentities disclose every possible intermediate value or intermediateentity for the purpose of original disclosure, as well as for thepurpose of restricting the claimed subject matter.

FIG. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of a tapered roller bearingaccording to the present teachings. The tapered roller bearing is formedwith two rows of roller bodies and includes an outer ring 1 having twoconical tracks. Furthermore, the tapered roller bearing includes twoinner rings 2 and 3 disposed axially adjacent each other and each havinga conical track. The outer ring 1 and the two inner rings 2, 3 areformed as continuous rings closed in the circumferential direction inthe illustrated exemplary embodiment. However, it is also possible toutilize segmented rings, i.e. rings that include discontinuous segmentsthat abut in the circumferential direction.

Conically-shaped roller bodies 4 roll on the conical track of the innerring 2 and on the adjacent conical track of the outer ring 1.Conically-shaped roller bodies 5 roll on the conical track of the innerring 3 and on the adjacent conical track of the outer ring 1. The rollerbodies 4 are disposed in a cage 6 and the roller bodies 5 are disposedin a cage 7. The cages 6 and 7 are formed in a segmented manner in theillustrated exemplary embodiment, i.e. the cages 6, 7 are discontinuous,but abutting, in the circumferential direction. For example, theindividual cage segments can be disposed one after another in thecircumferential direction, as is disclosed in DE 102 46 825 A1, which isincorporated herein by reference. The cages 6, 7 or cage segmentsthereof can be made of plastic. However, it is noted that the cages 6, 7can also be formed in a continuous manner in the circumferentialdirection.

A retaining ring 8 is attached to the outer ring 1 on one axial sideusing screws 10 and a retaining ring 9 is attached to the other axialside using screws 10. The retaining rings 8, 9 can be manufactured,e.g., from metal or plastic. High-quality roller bearing steel is notnecessary for the sealing ring-retaining function.

A sealing ring 11 is attached to the retaining ring 8 using a clampingring 12. The sealing ring 11 can be formed as a radial shaft seal. Asealing ring 11 formed in such a manner is depicted in FIG. 2 in across-sectional illustration.

As can be derived in more detail from FIG. 2, the sealing ring 11 has adust lip 13 and a sealing lip 14. The sealing lip 14 is urged radiallyinwards by a spring 15 (e.g., a garter spring) and lies in contact onthe slip surface 16 that is formed on a shoulder 17 of the inner ring 2(see also FIG. 1).

A sealing ring 18 is attached to the retaining ring 9 using a clampingring 19. The sealing ring 18 is formed in an analogous manner to thesealing ring 11 and lies in contact on the slip surface 20 that isformed on the shoulder 21 of the inner ring 3.

The inner rings 2, 3 may comprise uniformly-hardened steel or only theareas of the tracks and the slip surfaces 16, 20 may be hardened steel.The slip surfaces 16, 20 are preferably manufactured with high precisionand are, e.g., mechanically-ground in a twist-free ordirectionality-free manner. As utilized herein, the terms “twist-free”and/or “directionality-free” are intended to mean that the slip surfaces16, 20 do not have any microscopically small structures that cause afluid (e.g., lubricant) stream to be generated in the axial directionunder the sealing lip 14 when the inner rings 2, 3 rotate.² The use oftwist-free or directionality-free slip surfaces 16, 20 enable a reliablesealing to be achieved with low friction and such that the wear of thesealing lips 14 of the sealing rings 11, 18 is minimized. ²Definitionadded to ensure proper interpretation of “directionality-free” (i.e.drallfrei).

The surface roughness of the slip surfaces 16, 20, as measured accordingto ISO 4288-1985, preferably falls within the following ranges:

-   -   R_(a) 0.2 to 0.8 μm    -   R_(z) 1 to 4 μm    -   R_(max) 6.3 μm

The lower values for R_(a) and R_(z) are minimum values in order toensure that a sufficient amount of lubricant (e.g., grease) is held onthe slip surfaces 16, 20 to prevent damage to the sealing lip 14 duringoperation. In addition, the temperature rise caused by inadequatelubrication, particularly at high rotational speeds, would lead tohardening and cracking of the sealing lip 14 and thus to premature sealfailure. On the other hand, if the surfaces are too rough, there will beexcessive seal lip wear and seal life will be shortened. If the valueR_(max) is exceeded, leakage may occur.

As mentioned above, it is also preferable that the machining operationdoes not leave any directionality behind on the slip surfaces 16, 20, asthis could lead to leakage by pumping action, depending on the directionof rotation. A suitable surface can be achieved, e.g., by plungegrinding; whole number ratios of the grinding wheel speed to theworkpiece speed are preferably avoided. The grinding wheel may bedressed using a cluster head dressing tool and the smallest possiblelateral feed, or a profile dressing roll without lateral feed.

The slip surfaces 16, 20 should also be free of any damage such asbruises, scratches, cracks, rust or raised sections. It is thereforeimportant that it not only be carefully machined but also that it beproperly protected until final mounting takes place. Such protectioncan, for instance, be provided by threading a cardboard tube over theslip surfaces 16, 20, or preferably over the whole shaft.³ ³Text initalics is not in original German text and has been taken from:http://www.skf.com/portal/skf/home/products?maincatalogue=1&lang=en&newlink=41 21v

Grease is not illustrated in the Figures, but may preferably be providedas a lubricant in the inner space of the tapered roller bearing, whichinner space is sealed by the sealing rings 11, 18.

In a preferred application of the tapered roller bearing illustrated inFIG. 1, the outer ring 1 remains stationary during operation and the twoinner rings 2, 3 rotate relative to the outer ring 1. Accordingly, thesealing rings 11, 18 remain stationary and the respective sealing lips14 abut on the rotating slip surfaces 16, 20 of the inner rings 2, 3. Inparticularly preferred embodiments, the tapered roller bearing can beutilized in a wind turbine as a rotor bearing, which embodiment will bediscussed below. As was noted above, a reliable sealing over a longservice life is achievable with the sealing rings 11, 18 in view of thehigh-precision construction of the slip surfaces 16, 20. Furthermore, ifthe sealing rings 11, 18 become damaged during operation, they can beindividually replaced.

FIG. 3 shows a second exemplary embodiment of a representative taperedroller bearing in a cross-sectional illustration. This exemplaryembodiment differs from FIG. 1 with respect to the attachment of thesealing rings 11, 18. In addition, a grease channel 22 is illustrated inFIG. 3, which extends in the radial direction along the axial border ofthe two inner rings 2, 3. Further, in FIG. 3, the installationenvironment of the tapered roller bearing is also indicated, as will bediscussed further in the next paragraph. The two exemplary embodimentscoincide in other respects.

The installation environment illustrated in FIG. 3 is a section of awind turbine that surrounds the tapered roller bearing. Morespecifically, a rotor shaft 23 and a bearing housing 24 are illustrated.The two inner rings 2, 3 sit on the rotor shaft 23 and rotate with it.The outer ring 1 is disposed in a bore of the bearing housing 24 and isfixedly attached to the bearing housing 24 using axially-extendingscrews 25. In addition, the retaining rings 8, 9 are also laterallyattached to the outer ring 1 by the screws 25, so that no additionalscrews are necessary for the attachment of the retaining rings 8, 9. Thetwo retaining rings 8, 9 may be formed in a differing manner inaccordance with the particular installation environment. The attachmentof the sealing rings 11, 18 to the retaining rings 8, 9 by the clampingrings 12, 19 may be analogous to FIG. 1. The clamping rings 12, 19 maybe fixedly attached to the retaining rings 8, 9 by the screws 26.

The sealing rings 11, 18 are preferably formed in an analogous manner toFIG. 2 and slip on or slidingly contact the slip surfaces 16, 20 of theinner rings 2, 3 similar to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1. Sincethe outer ring 1 is attached to the bearing housing 24 by screws 25, theouter ring 1 and the bearing housing 24 do not rotate during operationand thus remain stationary. Consequently, the sealing rings 11, 18attached to the outer ring 1 also remain stationary and the sealing lips14 slip or slidingly contact on the slip surfaces 16, 20 of the innerrings 2, 3 that rotate relative to the sealing rings 11, 18.

FIG. 4 shows a third exemplary embodiment of a representative taperedroller bearing in a cross-sectional illustration. In this embodiment,only one sealing ring 11 is shown. However, the embodiment of FIG. 4 maybe modified to include both sealing rings 11, 18, wherein thenot-illustrated sealing ring 18 may be formed in a manner analogous tothe illustrated sealing ring 11.

The tapered roller bearing illustrated in FIG. 4 differs from FIGS. 1and 3 in particular with respect to the construction of the sealing ring11. Unlike FIGS. 1 and 3, the sealing ring 11 in FIG. 4 is not clampedin the retaining ring 8, but rather is directly fastened together withthe outer ring 1 by screws 10. This means that, in the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 4, the retaining ring 8 and the clamping ring 12 areomitted and a different embodiment of the sealing ring 11 is utilizedthan the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2.

The construction of the sealing ring 11 utilized in FIG. 4 will beexplained in more detail with the assistance of FIG. 5, which shows thesealing ring 11 in a cross-sectional illustration. Analogous to FIG. 2,the sealing ring 11 is equipped with the dust lip 13, the sealing lip 14and the spring 15. In addition, the sealing ring 11 includes bores 27extending in the axial direction. Sleeves 28 for receiving the screws 10are inserted into the bores 27. In order to ensure a reliable functionof the sealing ring 11 in a long-lasting manner, it is also necessarythat it possesses a sufficient shape-stability. This shape-stability canbe achieved by selecting an appropriate material for the sealing ring11. Polyurethane (PUR) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), inparticular, are suitable as materials. When using these materials, thesealing ring 11 can be produced completely, i.e. inclusive of the dustlip 13 and the sealing lip 14, from a single material. The productioncan take place, e.g., by lathing or another machine-cutting process.Likewise, it is also possible, however, to produce the sealing ring 11,in particular the dust lip 13 and the sealing lip 14, using injectionmolding or vulcanization.

As to the remaining structures, the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4corresponds to the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 3, wherein thegrease channel 22 previously illustrated in FIG. 3 is again present.

FIG. 6 shows a representative wind turbine that may utilize one or moretapered roller bearings 30 according to the present teachings torotatably support a rotor shaft 23. The wind turbine may optionally alsoinclude a gearbox 31 and a generator 32, which are driven by rotorblades 33. A bearing housing 24 may support the outer ring 1 of thetapered roller bearing 30.⁴ ⁴ FIG. 6 and text added to satisfy USPTOdrawing requirements.

REFERENCE NUMBER LIST:

-   1 Outer ring-   2 Inner ring-   3 Inner ring-   4 Roller bearing-   5 Roller bearing-   6 Cage-   7 Cage-   8 Retainer ring-   9 Retainer ring-   10 Screw-   11 Sealing ring-   12 Clamping ring-   13 Dust lip-   14 Sealing lip-   15 Spring-   16 Slip surface-   17 Shoulder-   18 Sealing ring-   19 Clamping ring-   20 Slip surface-   21 Shoulder-   22 Grease channel-   23 Rotor shaft-   24 Bearing housing-   25 Screw-   26 Screw-   27 Bore-   28 Sleeve-   30 Tapered roller bearing-   31 Gearbox-   32 Generator-   33 Rotor blades

The invention claimed is:
 1. A two-row tapered roller bearingcomprising: an outer ring having an outer diameter of at least onemeter, a first inner ring, a second inner ring disposed axially adjacentthe first inner ring, a first set of conically-shaped roller bodiesdisposed so as roll between the outer ring and the first inner ring, asecond set of conically-shaped roller bodies disposed axially adjacentthe first roller bodies and so as to roll between the outer ring and thesecond inner ring, and a first sealing ring disposed axially adjacentthe outer ring, the first sealing ring being connected with the outerring and configured to slip on a slip surface of the first inner ring ina contacting manner when the first inner ring rotates, wherein the firstsealing ring is fixed to a first retaining ring via a first clampingring, and wherein the first retaining ring is attached to the outer ringvia a screw connection.
 2. A tapered roller bearing according to claim1, further comprising: a second sealing ring disposed axially adjacentthe outer ring, the second sealing ring being connected with the outerring and configured to slip on a slip surface of the second inner ringin a contacting manner when the second inner ring rotates.
 3. A taperedroller bearing according to according to claim 1, wherein the first slipsurface is cylinder-shaped.
 4. A tapered roller bearing according toaccording to claim 3, wherein the first slip surface is formed at ashoulder of the first inner ring.
 5. A tapered roller bearing accordingto according to claim 1, wherein the first slip surface has anon-directional surface finish.
 6. A tapered roller bearing according toaccording to claim 1, further comprising a first retaining ring attachedto the first sealing ring.
 7. A tapered roller bearing according toclaim 6, wherein the first retaining ring is attached to the outer ring.8. A tapered bearing according to claim 7, wherein the first retainingring is attached to the outer ring by screws that also serve to attachthe outer ring to another structure.
 9. A tapered bearing according toclaim 6, wherein the first sealing ring and the first retaining ring areformed integrally.
 10. A tapered bearing according to claim 6, whereinthe first sealing ring and the first retaining ring are comprised of thesame material.
 11. A tapered roller bearing according to claim 1,wherein the first sealing ring has at least one sealing lip.
 12. Atapered roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein at least one of theouter ring, the first inner ring and the second inner ring is formed asa ring that is closed and continuous in the circumferential direction.13. A tapered roller bearing according to claim 1, further comprising afirst cage retaining the first roller bodies, wherein the first cage isformed in a segmented manner.
 14. A tapered roller bearing according toclaim 1, wherein the first sealing ring is manufactured from one ofpolyurethane and polytetrafluoroethylene.
 15. A tapered roller bearingaccording to claim 1, further comprising grease disposed in an interiorsealed portion of the taper roller bearing and serving as a lubricant.16. A tapered roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the outerring comprises a first conical track contacting the first set of rollerbodies and a second conical track contacting the second set of rollerbodies and wherein the first and second set of roller bodies aredisposed substantially in a V-shape as viewed in an axial cross-sectionwith axially-adjacent ends of the first and second roller bodies beingdisposed radially inward of the axially-remote ends of the first andsecond roller bodies.
 17. A tapered roller bearing according toaccording to claim 16, wherein the first slip surface is cylinder-shapedand has a non-directional surface finish, the first slip surface isformed at a shoulder of the first inner ring, the first sealing ringshas a sealing lip in sliding contact with the first slip surface, and atleast the sealing lip of the first sealing ring comprises one ofpolyurethane and polytetrafluoroethylene, and wherein the tapered rollerbearing further comprises: a first retaining ring attached to the firstsealing ring and to the outer ring, a first cage retaining the firstroller bodies, wherein the first cage is formed in a segmented mannerand grease disposed at least in an interior space near theaxially-adjacent ends of the roller bodies.
 18. A wind turbinecomprising: a rotor shaft and a tapered roller bearing according toclaim 1 rotatably supporting the rotor shaft.
 19. A wind turbineaccording to claim 18 further comprising a bearing housing, wherein thebearing housing is directly connected to the outer ring of the taperedroller bearing by screws.
 20. A tapered roller bearing according toclaim 1, wherein the first clamping ring is fixed to the first retainingring via a screw connection.
 21. A tapered roller bearing according toclaim 1, the first clamping ring and the first retaining ring areattached to the outer ring by a common screw connection.
 22. A taperedroller bearing according to claim 1, the first retaining ring isattached to the outer ring by screws that also attach the outer ring toanother structure.
 23. A tapered roller bearing according to claim 1,the first sealing ring is clamped between the first clamping ring andthe first retaining ring.
 24. A tapered roller bearing comprising: anouter ring having an outer diameter of at least one meter, wherein aradially-inner surface of the outer ring comprises a first conical trackand a second conical track axially adjacent to the first conical track,a first inner ring having a conical track, a second inner ring having aconical track, a first set of conically-shaped roller bodies disposed soas roll between the first conical track of the outer ring and theconical track of the first inner ring, a second set of conically-shapedroller bodies disposed so as to roll between the second conical track ofthe outer ring and the conical track of second inner ring, and a firstsealing ring disposed axially adjacent the outer ring, the first sealingring being connected with the outer ring and being in a sliding, sealedcontact with a slip surface of the first inner ring, wherein the firstand second set of roller bodies are disposed substantially in a V-shapeas viewed in an axial cross-section with axially-adjacent ends of thefirst and second roller bodies being disposed radially inward of theaxially-remote ends of the first and second roller bodies, wherein thefirst sealing ring is fixed to a first retaining ring via a firstclamping ring, and wherein the first retaining ring is attached to theouter ring via a screw connection.
 25. A two-row tapered roller bearingcomprising: an outer ring having an outer diameter of at least onemeter, a first inner ring, a second inner ring disposed axially adjacentthe first inner ring, a first set of conically-shaped roller bodiesdisposed so as roll between the outer ring and the first inner ring, asecond set of conically-shaped roller bodies disposed axially adjacentthe first roller bodies and so as to roll between the outer ring and thesecond inner ring, and a first sealing ring disposed axially adjacentthe outer ring, the first sealing ring being connected with the outerring and configured to slip on a slip surface of the first inner ring ina contacting manner when the first inner ring rotates, wherein the firstsealing ring is fixed to the outer ring via screws extending axiallythrew bores in the first sealing ring.